Department of Labor-Federal Security Agency

Appropriations for 1953

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE

COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

SUBCOMMITTEE

JOHN E. FOGARTY, Rhode Island, Chairman

E. H. HEDRICK, West Virginia
CHRISTOPHER C. MCGRATH, New York
WINFIELD K. DENTON, Indiana

ROBERT M. MOYER, Executive

GEORGE B. SCHWABE, Oklahoma

LOWELL STOCKMAN, Oregon
FRED E. BUSBEY, Illinois

Secretary to Subcommittee

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD

NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD

RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

FEDERAL MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE
OFFICE OF EDUCATION (SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION)
TESTIMONY OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
INTERESTED ORGANIZATIONS

COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri, Chairman

GEORGE Y. HARVEY, Clerk
(II)

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR-FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1953

101

Mr. DENTON. The first witnesses before the committee this morning are from the National Mediation Board. Mr. Edwards, would you like to make a statement?

GENERAL STATEMENT

Mr. EDWARDS. I might state for the record that my name is Leverett Edwards, Chairman of the National Mediation Board, accompanied by Mr. Scott, member of the Board, Mr. O'Neill, the other member of the Board. We have present also Mr. Thompson, our Secretary, and Mr. Lewis, our Assistant Secretary.

We have, I might state, a complete written statement here which will set forth all of the information we believe to be pertinent.

Mr. DENTON. I wonder if you would just summarize your functions. and work and the problems that your Board has.

Mr. EDWARDS. Yes, sir. I will just hit the high lights, and you have the detail in this statement.

Mr. DENTON. Yes.

SUMMARY OF BOARDS FUNCTIONS

Mr. EDWARDS. It is the duty of this Board to administer the Railway Labor Act, and our work consists of the promotion of labormanagement peace among approximately 700 railroad carriers and all of the air lines of the country.

There are approximately a million and a half employees involved. in these industries.

Now, under the Railway Labor Act, the steps which we may utilize consist of the following:

Following the negotiations by the parties and their conferences directly, we come in when our services are needed and provide mediation services between the parties. In the event those services may not be successful, under the act we administer a further program by which we assist the parties in going ahead with arbitration of their disputes. In those cases in which these previous steps may not have procured a settlement, then under the Railway Labor Act the Emergency Board provisions of the act may be utilized by the President upon our certificate that an emergency exists which is likely to disrupt interstate commerce and deprive important sections of the country of essential transportation.

Now, our over-all staff at full force consists of a total of 43 people, and with this staff we administer the act throughout the country. It is necessary for our mediators to go to the various properties when disputes develop and perform their services there.

We often refer to our jurisdiction in the case of labor disputes on the railroads or airlines as being somewhat similar to that of the fire department. Whenever there is a labor fire, we go in and try to put it out.

Now, briefly summarizing, I may say with specific reference to the figures which you have before you here that we are asking for the same amount of money as we have previously had. However, I wish to call your attention to one exception to that. We are asking that our staff of mediators be brought to its regular size—that is,